Milk crate corner assembly



- 12A/@Mmm 2 Sheets-Sheet' l INV ENTOR ahi/Wma 5. 40N CARL/mf IPO/Mme H. SZ LON ET AL.

MILK CRATE CORNER ASSEMBLY Filed oct. le, 1934 ATTORNEYS.,

web, 2, R939. um!A 5;- LION ET AL B? MILK CRATE CORNER ASSEMBLY Filed Ooi. 16, 1934 2 Sheets-Shei 2 INVENTOR. A HA/PMU 6. fm/v' Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED 's'ludvrEs- PATENT oFFicE 2,148,021 CRATE CORNE ASSEMBLY Harold .S. `Lion and Carlisle G. Rohrer, n Cincinnati; n

by mesne. assignments, to"n The` Evans Manufacturing Company, Cincinnati, 0ho,ra corporation of Ohio Application OctoberY 16; 1934, Seriali No.

16 Claims.` (Cl. 2175-65)v ing4 the stacking ironV` element,

drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan viewf'of aA milk-'crate embodying our invention. l

Fig. 2-is an elevational View of a corner thereof. Fig. 3isa sectional view taken along thelinesl 3-31JofFig- 2.

Fig. 4iisy a perspective view of an outercorner iron:`

Fig. 5'is1a perspective View' ofi an inner corner iron; n

Figf isa perspective view` of astackingfiron. Fig: 7 shows,` ay tool? forV removing the looking rods;

Figure 'Tw sanenlarged View of the upper endV of 'said tool;

Fig. 8`showsa form of corner construction with a stackingiron separate from the inner corner iron.

Fig; 9 showsa-corner construction in-which the rsta'ckingiron' is omitted.`

Fig. loshows-a corner constructon-in-whchf the stacking iron is lnteg-ralwith a partial vinner corner iron; extendingl to the top rof the bottom slat:

The outer corner iron 9 has portions bent over at the top as shown at II. Ears I2 are bent up normal to the side walls of the corner iron at intervals. These ears are perforated for a purpose hereinafter to be described, and are intended to cooperate with the ears on the inner corner iron to lie above, below and between each pair of slats or rails in the sides and ends of the box and to act as spacers therefor. The bottom portions of the outer corner iron arebent over to form bottom shoe members I3 and then are coninterspaced members I4 which terminate in perforated, bent over ears I5. The portions of the side walls of both corner irons between the ears are preferably beveled as at I6 excepting at the top,

The inner corner iron is likewise of angular formation, having top ears I1, and other ears I8 interspaced therefrom. Whereas in the outer corner iron the ears are bent over inwardly, in the inner corner iron they are bent over outwardly, so that when the irons are assembled with the ends of the slats or rails therebetween the ears and the perforations therein may be aligned with each other and with perforations in the slats or rails. By reason of the portions I4 of the outer corner iron the inner corner iron does not need to be as long.

In the embodiment of our invention shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 10 instead of making the stacking `means integral with either of the corner irons, we

is a member of having a body extension 20. This exoifset from the body, and is of the usual shape engagement within the bottom shoes of an overlying crate when the crates are stacked. Upper and lower ears 2I and 22 are struck up outwardly `from the body of the stacking iron, and are perforated. lThey are of a size and shape adapted to permit their alignment with the ears on the inner and outer corner irons as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Both the corner and the stacking irons yare preferably'formed as sheet metal stampings,

form it as a separate piece. This generally angular cross section galvanized or otherwise protected from corrosion.

In the embodiment of the lnvention shown in Fig. 10 the stacking iron is formed integrally with an inner corner member designated as 33, of a shape generally similar to the inner corner iron illustrated in Fig. 5, excepting for a stacking extension indicated at 34. We are able to use a stacking iron of this type economically because of the construction of our crate permitting ready disassembly of the corner structure and replacement thereof. Where the stacking extension 34 is to be integral with an inner corner iron 33, the member 33 is preferably made of a heavier gauge of metal than is necessary in the formation of an inner corner iron such as that shown in Fig. 5.

In assembling the crate the slats or rails go between the inner and outer corner irons. ends of the upper rails are notched out as at 23 to bring the top ears ofthe corner irons substantially into the plane of the top of the crate. The lower rails or slats are also notched out as at 24 to bring the shoe portions I3 of the outer corner irons to the level of the bottom of the crate, and further, to accommodate the offset end of a shoe underlies each bottom rail and which may be riveted thereto, as at 26. The stacking irons are added to the assembly with their ears in alignment with the ears of the outer and inner corner irons. When the parts have been put together in this way, assemblies of ears ywise formed, or with other locking means.

ment either of a underlie and overlie each rail or slat, and act as supports and as ultimate spacers therefor. Perforations in slats or rails are brought into alignment, and the crate may be fastened together with rod means to be described hereinafter.

The perforations in the top rails or slats are somewhat larger than the perforations in the other rails, and also have still further enlarged portions indicated at 2%. Rod members 21, which `are preferably long enough to extend from the top almost to the bottom of the crate, but are in no event longer than vided with heads 23, and crooks or shoulders 29. They may be provided with enlargements other- These rod members may be driven through the aligned perforations lto complete the crate. When they are so driven, the crook 29 in the rods compresses as it passes through the perforation in the top rails, but expands into the enlargement 26 of the perforation locking the rods against dislodgment. The crate, or any corner portion thereof, however, is easily disassembled for repair or replacecorner iron, a stacking iron, or the rails themselves, by merely driving out the rods 21 until the crooks therein have come above the upper ears. This is conveniently done by means of a tool such as that shown in Fig. '7, havingy a handle and driving head 30, and a shank 3I of about the same size as the rod.

In Figure 'la I have shown an enlarged perspective view of the upper end of the driving tool showing a cup-shaped formation 32, the purpose of which is to form a positive engagement with the tapered or pointed, or otherwise reduced ends of the rod members 21. The shank of this tool is inserted through the perforations in the shoe members of the corner irons, and when it contacts the end of the rod, is tapped with a hammerv until the rod has been driven far enough out to free the crook therein as aforesaid. After this the rod may be easily withdrawn by the fingers for the remainder of the way. When a new part has replaced the old, the crate is reassembled by reinsertion of the rod. There will, as shown, be two of the rods at each corner ure 8 showsa corner assembly with separate stacking iron. Figure 9 shows a corner assembly without a stacking iron.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in our invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In a crate the combination of inner and outer corner irons, slats forming a side and endv wall having their ends between said corner irons, ears on said corner irons extending between said slats, and continuous perforations through said ears and slats, a stacking iron having an angular body and ears projecting outwardly therefrom and adapted also to extend between said slats, said ears being perforated in alignment with said continuous perforations, and members passing through saidperforations and adapted to hold said several structures in assembly.

2. In 'a crate the combination of inner and outer corner irons, slats forming a side and end wall having their ends between said corner irons, ears on said corner irons extending between said slats, and continuous perforations through said ears and slats, a stacking iron having an angular body and ears projecting outwardly therefrom the several metal members and in the.

iron having cooperating extensions entering into said ears 'being perforated in alignment Withsaid said Walls, and continuous perforations through i crate, fears on said member entering in between extending into said walls and a stacking iron ing perforated ears also extending between said l In combination, a side and end Wall of a sla s, said stacking iron being held in position by crate coming together to form a corner, an outer said rods. corner reinforcement member having portions eX- means for holding said rod in said perforation, depth so as to form an inner corner reinforcement said bottom portions, rods in said continuous per- 12. In combination in a slatted crate, inner and ears alSO eXtendIlg abOVe and between Sad slats, side and end Walls 0f a, crate, continuous perforasaid stacking rOrl being held in DOsitiOIl by Said tions extending through said slats and ears, and rods. rods in said continuous perforations extending so as to enclose the ends of the bottom slats, at a stacking iron having perforated ears also ex- DeIfOIatiOns eXtending Substantially the full depth of said crate, readily detachable means for being held in position by said rods. 14. crate comprising four Walls arranged in 7. In a crate of the character described, side rectangular relation, a corner iron at each corner corner and extending Substantially the full depth at each corner of the crate positioned toi overiie l being the sole fastening means for said corner underlying Walls 0f the crate to anchor the 70 inforcement member and a stacking iron, said 15. A bottle crate comprising four walls, each corner reinforcement member and said stacking of which is composed of superimposed slats, a

stacking iron at the top of each of the four corners of the crate, and tie rods extending vertically through the superimposed slats of each Wall adjacent each of the four corners of the crate and through the superimposed stacking irons to secure said slats together and to the stacking irons.

16. A bottle crate comprising four Walls, each comprising superimposed slats, corner irons at the 10 four corners of the crate formed to overlie the upper and lower edges of the crate, tie rods extending vertically through the slats adjacent the four corners of the crate and through the corner irons to secure said slats to the corner irons, an stacking irons at the top of the crate and at the four corners thereof, said stacking irons being anchored to the crate by said tie rods.

HAROLD S. LION.

CARLISLE G. ROHRER, 10 

